Wheel-fender



(No M odel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. v

S. NORTON.

WHEEL FENDER.

No. 569,465. Patented 001;. 13, 1896.

5 IIIIIII "II-BIKE (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. NORTON.

WHEEL FENDER.

No. 569,465. Patented 001;. 13, 1896.

wi tmaooaa attozwmg UNITED STATES PATENT CFFIcE.

STEPHEN NORTON, OF ROCHESTER, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONEFOURTH TO EDIVIN D. IVATKINS, OF LIMA, NEIV YORK.

WHEEL-FENDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 569,465, dated October 13, 1896.

Application filed February 15, 1896. Serial No. 579,397. (No model.)

To all 1071mm it may (rU/LCOI'IL:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN NoEroN, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in IVheel-Fenders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates certain new and useful improvements in fenders for streetrailway cars.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a fender capable of oscillation corresponding to the raising or lowering of the car-body, so that its height or relative distance from the track will not be affected by any change of position of the car-body.

A further object is to provide a fender in which the scoop-net will normally be held taut and yet allowed to yield to prevent any undue jar or concussion upon a person falling therein; and a further object is to provide a sectional frame for the net having simple and highly efficient means for holding the lower extensible portion of said frame extend ed and also for retaining it closed when not in use.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set go forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved fen der, a portion of a car being indicated. Fig. 2is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on line at at, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail. Fig. 6 is a view of the fender-frame removed, showing the extensible part thereof lowered in full lines and raised in dotted lines. Fig. 7 is a detail.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the fender-frame, which is composed of two cor- 5 responding side bars a and upper and lower transverse cross-bars a. The side bars aare preferably formed each in two parts or sec tions a a the parts a being pivotally connected to the parts a by a cross-rod (0, extended through an inclosing tube a. The

lower extensible parts a may be formed in part by extending the angular ends of the lower cross-bar a. The inner ends of the parts a of these side bars are bent or flanged,

as at a, so as to limit the downward movements of said parts a by contacting against the edges of the parts a while the outer ends of said parts are curved or widened, as at a so as to form supports for the front of the frame when lowered. 6o

13 B designate two vertically-arranged plate-springs secured to the upper cross-bar a and having their lower ends I) curved forward, so as to constantly bear against the flanged ends a of the parts a. These 6 5 springs, by reason of their tension against the flanged ends a, hold the parts (6 extended when lowered, and when said parts are raised said springs also bear against said flanged ends a and hold the parts a raised against the part a (See dotted lines, Fig. 6.)

C designates the scoop-net,coinposed of a series of transverse slats (Z,flexibly connected together by straps or chains (1. At their upper ends these straps or chains have links 61 designed to be removably held by hooks (F, depending from an upper cross-bar D, which latter is secured to and yieldingly held by the plate-sprin gs B. The lower ends of these flexible straps are connected to small wheels or pul- 8o leys d", mounted on a spring-held rod (1, supported by the outer ends of the extensible parts a of frame A. Each of these wheels or pulleys d" is fast 011 the rod (Z and is provided with an inwardly-exteinlin g transverse groove 8 5 or kerf e, which latter is designed to receive and accommodate links 6 011 the lower ends of the flexible straps or chains (1. Upon the rod (Z is a coil-spring E, one end of which engages one of the extensible parts u while its go other end is secured to or caused to engage the second one of the series of wheels or pulleys on the rod (1 The tension of the spring E is such that the wheels or pulleys normally serve to hold the net taut and prevent any 5 sagging thereof, and by reason of the connecting-links engaging the grooves or'kerfs of said wheels or pulleys and extending over the sides of the latter said links and the straps or chains are kept out of contact with the loo ground even though the lower peripheries of the wheels or pulleys engage therewith. In

the event of any object or person falling on the net the spring-held rod immediately turns, the wheels or pulleys rotating therewith, allowing the net to give, and the upper crossbar D being flexibly held by the springs B the net is free to give to accommodate the weight thereon, preventing any jar or undue strain.

In order to prevent the rotation of the spring-held rod to too great an extent in the event of the wheels or pulleys contacting with the track or any obstacle, I provide one of the end wheels or pulleys with a short projecting stud e which, upon contacting with a similar stud 6 extending from the frame, will arrest any movement of the rod.

The upper ends of the side bars of frame A are provided with a series of holes f to permit of adjustable connection to parallel plates f by means of keys or bolts f saidside bars fitting between said plates. These plates f are made fast to depending arms f which at their upper ends are pivoted to plates f*, attached to the under side of the car-body W.

From the rear ends of these plates f depend between the parallel plates f.

short rods or posts f which are encircled by coil-springs f", which bear down against the tub ular-like ends f forming the connections The lower ends of the pivoted depending arms f have connected thereto rods G, which at their rear ends have secured thereto chains 9, which, after passing over pulleys g, attached to the under side of the car-body W, are connected,

to adjustable bolts 9 or the like on the wheeltruck g By means of these adjustable bolts the connections between the wheel-truck and the depending supporting-arms of the fenderframe may be regulated, as may be necessary, to control the height of the lower end of the fender from the track.

It will be observed that the springs bearing down on the rear ends of the plates f exert a tension thereon,which, being communicated to the truck-frame, will normally hold the forward end of the latter raised or elevated from the ground. I11 order to control the extent of this raise or elevation, the connection between the truck-frame and these de pending arms is regulated accordingly. In the event of any raising of the car-body a rearward pull is exerted on the rearward ends of the depending pivoted arms f causing the lowering of the outer ends of the frame A, while in the event of the lowering of said car-body an opposite movement is-had, namely, the raising of said lower end of the frame. Hence it will be seen that I have provided simple means for allowing the frame and net to always maintain the same relative position to the track, and said position will'not be affected by any raising or lowering of the car-body. It will also be noted that when the lower extensible part of the frame is raised up against the upper part, as shown in Fig. 6, it is held elevated by the platesprings B, and that the latter form the flexible supports for the upper cross-bar, to which the flexible straps or chains of the net are connected. Likewise it will be seen that I have provided simple and highly efficient means for holding the net and permitting the latter to give when the same is called in use.

Vhile the form of scoop-net and frame herein described is preferred by me to all other known forms, yet I do not restrict myself in this particular, since other forms may be mounted on a car in the manner herein described so as to be capable of oscillation in the event of any rocking of the car-body, thus maintaining the outer end of the fenderframe at a uniform height from the track and ground.

I claim as my invention- 1. A fender of the class herein described, comprising a scoop-net, a sectional frame therefor composed of vertical side bars and lower side bars pivoted thereto, plate-springs designed to hold said lower side bars either extended or raised, and flanges on said lower side bars adapted to limit the movement thereof, substantially as set forth.

2. A fender of the class herein described, comprising a scoop-net, a sectional frame therefor composed of vertical side bars and lower side bars pivoted thereto, flanges on the rear ends of said lower side bars adapted to limit the movement thereof, and platesprings supported by said vertical side bars and bearing against said flanges, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A car fender comprising a frame, a spring-held rotatable rod mounted therein, wheels or pulleys fast on said rod having grooves or kerfs therein, and a flexible scoopnet connected at its lower end to said wheels or pulleys and engaging said grooves or-kerfs, substantially as set forth.

4. Acar-fender comprisinga scoop-net composed of transverse bars, and flexible straps or chains, a frame therefor having a spring held rod and wheels or pulleys thereonhaving grooves or kerfs therein, and links connecting said flexible straps or chains to said wheels or pulleys, said links fitting in said grooves or kerfs, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with the frame, of the spring-held rod, the wheels or pulleys thereon, the scoop-net having cross-bars and flexible straps or chains connected to said pulleys, plate-springs carried by said frame, and the cross-bar secured to said plate-sprin gs and to which said straps or chains are connected at their upper ends, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with the frame having a lower extensible part or section, of the flexible scoop-net connected at its lower end to the forward end of said extensible part or section, the upper cross-bar to which the upper end of said scoop-net is connected, and the plate= springs to which said upper cross-bar is con= nected, said plate-springs at their lower ends engaging and holding said extensible part or section of said frame, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a car, of a fender having a scoop-net, pivoted arms depending from the car-body and to which said fender is connected, said arms having rearward extensions, springs bearing on said extensions and cords or chains connecting said arms to the wheel-truck, said cords or chains engagin g the car-body, whereby any rocking of the latter will efiect the oscillation of said fender, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with the car-body, of a scoop-net, a frame therefor, pivoted supporting-plates for said frame, springs bearing on extensions of said supporting-plates, and connections between said pivoted supportingplates and the wheel-truck, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with a car-body, of pivoted arms depending therefrom and having rearward extensions, a scoop-net, a frame therefor carried by said depending arms, springs acting on said extensions, and connections between said depending arms and the wheel-truck, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a car, of a scoopnet, a frame therefor having extensions, pivoted arms depending from the car-body and to which said extensions are connected, springs bearing down on said extensions in rear of said arms, cords or chains connected to said arms and to the wheel-truck, and wheels or pulleys on the car-body over which said cords or chains are passed, substantially as set forth.

11. The combination with a car, of a frame having an extensible section, plate-springs acting on said section, a spring-held shaft having wheels or pulleys, a scoop-net connected at its lower end to said wheels or pulleys, a cross-bar supported by said platesprings and to which said net is connected, depending pivoted arms to which extensions of said frame are connected, springs acting on said extensions, and connections between said arms and the wheel-truck, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN NORTON.

\Vitnesses:

J. WILLARD SALISBURY, CHAS. A. NORTON. 

